What do readers think of Still Life by Melissa Milgrom? Write your own review.

I really wanted to like this book. The people discussed were interesting. The topic of taxidermy is so odd that it in itself is interesting. The references to the Smithsonian, historical museum exhibitions and dioramas were compelling. (I'm a docent at a well known history museum.) Unfortunately the writing was so bad I found myself paying so much attention to the writing - wandering chronology, paragraphs with several subjects or no subject at all, incomprehensible sentences, and strange metaphors - I could not attend to the subject and often exceptional information. This book needs a good editor. There is a good book here, you just can't find it.

I had hoped to really enjoy this novel, but was so put off by the writing of the first two chapters, that I had difficulty pursuing the rest. I counted 2-3 digressions in parentheses per page that were annoying and irrelevant. That said, there were amusing tidbits on the minutiae of what is sold in trade fairs,and interesting snapshots of taxidermists' lives. This is a book that you will either love or hate.